Worst bikes of all time

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Since we have probably listed the best bikes of all time, I think its time for a list of the worst you have ridden/owned.
My personal worst was a homemade "Chopper" my B.I.L. owned. It was based on a Honda 305 twin, with extended front end, 15" ape hanger bars, and the worlds tallest and ugliest sissy bar. It had no front brakes, and was constantly trying to fall over on its own.
Wish I had a photo of it. Good for a few laughs.

Originally posted by epsylum How about any streetbike with three wheels. For those who own a trike. This is NOT a motorcycle. If all you want is wind in your hair, get a convertible. It'll probably be cheaper.

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And corner better, cheaper to maintain, look better, etc. I hate getting behind some old guy on a trike when I'm going down a curvy road on the bike or in my convertible, every one has been a rolling road block.

Originally posted by epsylum How about any streetbike with three wheels. For those who own a trike. This is NOT a motorcycle. If all you want is wind in your hair, get a convertible. It'll probably be cheaper.

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That's a pretty cold statement. I'd wager that a large number of trike riders have been riding longer than you've been alive, but due to injury or age they aren't able to swing a leg over any longer. This is a way that they can maintain doing what they've been doing for years. Why would you choose to deprive them of that?

Originally posted by Texas T That's a pretty cold statement. I'd wager that a large number of trike riders have been riding longer than you've been alive, but due to injury or age they aren't able to swing a leg over any longer. This is a way that they can maintain doing what they've been doing for years. Why would you choose to deprive them of that?

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I know from personal experience ALOT of trike riders are not physically challenged. Some are, but alot are people who are just too lazy to actually buy a bike and ride it. They want some sort of road-legal La-Z-Boy. That is why %90 of them are freaking gold wings. They want to feel like they are part of the motorcycling crowd without actually riding a bike. A trike has a huge stability problem (since a triangle is not very stable, laterally). They are pretty physical to ride, since you now have to force the bars to turn and shift your weight to keep from tipping (kind of like riding a quad or 3-wheeler, both are very physical to ride). If they can do all that, I think they should be able to ride a real bike. I have met people with missing hands and arms that still ride street bikes (the missing hand guy rides an R1 with his prosthetic for crying out loud).

If I was injured to the point of not being able to ride a bike or my quad. I would give up on the sport and find something new I can actually enjoy. Putting around on a trike is not my idea of fun.

If they are injured and that is the only way they can enjoy motorcycling, sure. Have at it. But I have seen ALOT of trikes lately and most of the people getting off are walking around just fine. I personally would still have more fun in a Miata than some over-weight, slow, insanely over-priced, unstable, turd of a wanna-be bike. Hell I would bet dollars to doughnuts that a Miata could even out-run one.

Originally posted by Texas T That's a pretty cold statement. I'd wager that a large number of trike riders have been riding longer than you've been alive, but due to injury or age they aren't able to swing a leg over any longer. This is a way that they can maintain doing what they've been doing for years. Why would you choose to deprive them of that?

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Yes they should be deprived of their trike because they are poor handling, dangerous pieces of junk. You have to wrestle them in a turn, the old fart driving the thing has to slow to a crawl to make it. I've been behind guys that corner slower than my old work van, they could probably have been run down from behind by a semi truck on a right hand turn. I can't even imagine what one is like to ride in the rain if they are that ****ty on dry pavement.

Notice how they stopped making three wheel ATVs? If they are that bad, then why make a road legal one?

Originally posted by the-fixer For what it's worth... two bikes that I've personally ridden and while maybe not worst at least qualify as difficult:

1980 Yamaha 500 single. Fun in town but turns your back into mush with highway vibration.

1978 (79?) Suzuki Rotary engine. Poor puppy ran so hot in Reno that you just learned to ignore the temp gauge and pray that your legs wouldn't cook too badly.

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Fixer,
I owned the SRX 600 Yamaha single. It only came to the U.S. for one year (1986 I believe). I actually loved that bike, the only problem was it was easy to start hot or cold but if it was just warm and died (which is seemed to do at stop lights) it was a pig to refire. Kicker only.

And the rotary. Never owned or rode one, but I guess you could say it was the answer to a question no one asked.

Originally posted by norton
And the rotary. Never owned or rode one, but I guess you could say it was the answer to a question no one asked.

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It was the late 70s/ early 80s and the rotary was anew fangled idea. It was supposed to have replaced all piston engines by now. All the buzz about the RX-7 and such, so they started trying to make it work in other vehicles. Obviously it wasn't as revolutionary as they would have made you think.

Rotaries are nice and all, but if want 2-stroke like power, I will take the 2-stroke. It is even LESS complicated than the rotary.

Originally posted by epsylum Yeah that's what I hear about the old kawi triples. Now imagine the 750cc version.

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My B.I.L. owned 2 of the 750 triples. It was a snotty beast. I rode it several times, and it seemed amazingly fast and almost uncontrolable.
But, compared to the new iron available today, it probably wasn't really that fast.
My favorite ring ding of all time was the RZ 350. My B.I.L. owned one of the Kenny Roberts signature models. It was a hoot to ride.
The R.D. 350 (air cooled) was a great wheelie machine. I owned a 1973. It fouled plugs on a regular basis, but it was stupidly easy to bring the front wheel up on this lightweight Yamaha

Originally posted by norton My B.I.L. owned 2 of the 750 triples. It was a snotty beast. I rode it several times, and it seemed amazingly fast and almost uncontrolable.
But, compared to the new iron available today, it probably wasn't really that fast.
My favorite ring ding of all time was the RZ 350. My B.I.L. owned one of the Kenny Roberts signature models. It was a hoot to ride.
The R.D. 350 (air cooled) was a great wheelie machine. I owned a 1973. It fouled plugs on a regular basis, but it was stupidly easy to bring the front wheel up on this lightweight Yamaha

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My brother has an RD350 enigne in his garage. He use to have the whole bike, but it was soooo beat up it wasn't worth trying to bring it back. So he kept the motor (since it is so stupid simple to make into runnig condition). He has planned on using it as powerplant for a lot of projects that hasn't happened yet. First he was going to put in a beat up Warrior quad chassis for a budget banshee, but sold the chassis. Then he wanted it in a go-kart (not a cheesy one, but like a used shifter cart). Now it just sits there in his garage until he can actually do something with it.

There is a lot of power hidden in those things (it's essentially an air-cooled banshee/RZ engine). I have seen one guy get about 60hp (about 171 hp/l)out of it on his track bike.

Originally posted by epsylum My brother has an RD350 enigne in his garage. He use to have the whole bike, but it was soooo beat up it wasn't worth trying to bring it back. So he kept the motor (since it is so stupid simple to make into runnig condition). He has planned on using it as powerplant for a lot of projects that hasn't happened yet. First he was going to put in a beat up Warrior quad chassis for a budget banshee, but sold the chassis. Then he wanted it in a go-kart (not a cheesy one, but like a used shifter cart). Now it just sits there in his garage until he can actually do something with it.

There is a lot of power hidden in those things (it's essentially an air-cooled banshee/RZ engine). I have seen one guy get about 60hp (about 171 hp/l)out of it on his track bike.

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I have a very good condition '75 RD350 in my basement. 2730 miles with the original tires and battery. Can't figure out what I want to do with it. Probably just hold onto it, I've only ridden it twice and it is fun.

Originally posted by norton My B.I.L. owned 2 of the 750 triples. It was a snotty beast. I rode it several times, and it seemed amazingly fast and almost uncontrolable.
But, compared to the new iron available today, it probably wasn't really that fast.
My favorite ring ding of all time was the RZ 350. My B.I.L. owned one of the Kenny Roberts signature models. It was a hoot to ride.
The R.D. 350 (air cooled) was a great wheelie machine. I owned a 1973. It fouled plugs on a regular basis, but it was stupidly easy to bring the front wheel up on this lightweight Yamaha

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I owned a Kawasaki 750 triple and the Yamaha RD 350 and RD400. The 750 was widely called "The Flexible Flyer" and the RD350 was called "The Giant Killer" when it first came out. The 750 could do wheelies with just a flick of the wrist but was useless in the corners. I had a few tank slappers at high speed with mine. Like you say the older bikes seem slow compared to the newer ones. My old Yamaha XS1100 with a Wisco Big Bore Kit[1196]and 33MM smooth bores got passed by a box stock Yamaha 400-4 one day. That 400 was fast but I did get 89,000 out of my XS1100 before I sold it. It still ran and fired up without a complaint.

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